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With a swift shift in the wind last wk, the intoxicating hemp bev biz went from flying high to facing an existential threat. Suddenly on Sun, Nov 9, a group of US Senators released a compromise package of bills primarily designed to reopen the government, but also containing language to severely restrict the intoxicating hemp market. By Weds, it was law. Just over a wk later, the industry is regrouping, rallying allies and reaching out to former opponents to allay concerns and establish a more united front. They have a year to build a coalition to convince Congress to revisit the issue and create regulatory clarity that would allow the market to operate. The last week and a half proved that a lot can change quickly. But a year isn't a lot of time, especially in the run-up to a major midterm election cycle. Shutdown Ramped Up Pressure The threat for such a speedy change to clamp down on the burgeoning hemp biz was always possible. All year, certain forces within DC pushed to "close the hemp loophole," viewing what grew into a multi-billion $$ biz as an unintended consequence of the 2018 Farm Bill. Calls to "fix" the issue got louder during the govt shutdown. In late Oct, a letter from 39 state attys genl asked Congress for clarity, closing with a request "to ensure intoxicating THC products are taken off the market." Other industries followed, highlighting their own pet interests. Alcohol remained as divided as ever, but a group of major supplier orgs, including Beer Inst and DISCUS, echoed the AGs, asking fed lawmakers to shut down the hemp biz until more robust regs are in place. Hemp-related lingo had already been in and out of various versions of agriculture-focused spending bills. So ag appropriations for fiscal '26 became the vehicle for addressing hemp alongside other issues key to the govt shutdown debate.Countdown to Super-Low 0.4 Mg Limit Per Container As written and signed into law last wk, provisions set to take effect next Nov would sharply curtail the current intoxicating hemp mkt. It redefines "hemp," setting different standards for the plant, intermediate products and finished consumer goods. The latter can't contain more than 0.4 mg of total THC per container, far below the 2.5, 5 and 10 mg bevs on the mkt now. It's so low, some argue it will block certain CBD-centric products designed for therapeutic uses as well. Lingo also bars use of any cannabinoids not naturally produced by and extracted from hemp plants, shutting down both fully synthetic and chemically altered cannabinoids.Uniting Behind a Shared Solution Without "Alcohol Bashing" While the alc bev biz may not all be on the same page about hemp, the hemp industry wasn't united either. And that may have been its biggest problem, explained bev-focused advocate Diana Eberlein, chair of the Coalition for Adult Beverage Alternatives, during monthly call yesterday. Focus now is on finding something "palatable and winnable" in the tight timeline in front of them. Many in the hemp biz seek a "one plant" or even "one molecule solution" to address THC, hemp and cannabis as a whole. But rescheduling marijuana won't help hemp and descheduling isn't realistic within the next yr, she cautions. So effort will be behind addressing "dosage caps" and "permitted cannabinoids," as well as "a solution that works for multiple form factors," or methods of intake. "We need to be united," Diana noted, so "no carveouts whatsoever" for bevs.Hemp advocates are already working to smooth things over with former opponents, Diana explained. Some of the top concerns she cited specifically relate to hemp's relationship with alcohol. The "number one thing I hear" is about "state litigation negatively impacting the federal fight," she said. Her org emphasizes how the industry wants regulation, but individual members undermine that when they sue states that regulate hemp. Some industry members also use "health and wellness" language "a little bit too loosely," she cautioned. It's "absolutely paramount" that "we stay away from health claims," Diana continued. And "we don't need to put down alcohol in any capacity," she said, urging against "alcohol bashing" and reminding hemp players that, on the bev side, "our strategic partners are selling alcohol and alcohol is still a majority of their sales." All those tactics can backfire further, she pointed out. Those appeals are music to the ears of skeptical alc bev industry members. But is it enuf to sway those in outright opposition? And it remains to be seen if enuf of the hemp mkt can be reined in &mdash; and bad actors called out &mdash; to generate the pathway and momentum needed to change the law once more.Best Wishes,

Sharp Change Sets Stage for Sweeping Ban If Hemp Advocates Can't Unite, Appeal to Critics

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